The beginning of most things is a pretty amazing feeling.  The start of a new job, moving to a new city, a fresh and exciting relationship, or an amazing blueprint on the wild and crazy plans you have for your life.  If you have read my first post, 'Finding Myself' you will know that I have always had a love affair with writing.  Picking up my diary to write stories was my favorite thing to escape into, and I really thought I was doing the most with that little lock on the front that never worked!  Either way, it was mine to create in and dream up whatever I wanted.  No matter how you begin, you can tell the moment that you do, it will most likely be something kinda dope.  So you do it, with a little fear and an enormous amount of doubt, but there is this driving force that pushes you to see that 'thing' through.  In the end, you are happy you did, trust me.
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You've found yourself lost in translation and you seem to have caused an imbalance in your life that is causing more stress than happiness these days.  The discomfort is all-encompassing and it's become awkward and downright exhausting to even think about how to maneuver throughout the day with all that is swimming around in your head.  (Did you remember to feed the cat?)  Thoughts that once seemed simple have become overwhelming.  (Should I wear the brown or black boots?)  Your relationship choices are questionable, your clothes are no longer in style, and your hair, or lack thereof, is in a constant bad hair day vibe.

In most cases, the majority of people will think you have it all together and that perfection is your middle name.  The reason for this is because we don't go around letting people know that is the furthest from the truth.  We smile, say hello, get through the day, go back to our normal routines and hit repeat just to do it all over again the next day.   ​Repetition has been said to drive some insane, but it also depends on what you are repeating.

Along with the clutter we create in our cars, closets and drawers we also find ourselves being mentally cluttered to the point where we have lost our peace and sometimes struggle to get it back.  You might be asking, 'what tools do I need to get out of this state of mind and semi-weird space I am in?' It all starts with you, and it's actually easier than you think.  Make a list of the things that cause your stress and start working to eliminate each of those things one by one.  Yes, this includes people!  I won't say that it is always easy but the end result is quite rewarding. 

Nothing is as complicated as when we get in our way of happiness.  We allow our lives to become over-saturated with deep thoughts and overthinking.  Not sure who said it, but this is not rocket science so stop making it so hard.  Well, unless you are a rocket scientist, then you have the type of stress I won't begin to talk about.  Either way, you owe it to yourself to exhale and enjoy life to the fullest.  

So you have your list, you've rolled up those sleeves, you are ready to take action and switch it up a bit.  Feels good right?  As you start to remove the stress in your life, you will feel more optimistic, you will observe things differently, and you begin to realize you were always so deserving of this newfound peace that you will wonder what took you so long.  Even if you forgot to feed the cat, you know that Max will be just fine until you get home.  Brown or black boots, either way, you will figure it out, you'll look incredible and pose for at least 10 pictures by the end of the night.  The mind is extremely powerful, and with it, we can control our thoughts, the energy we allow in, and the stress we push out.  

The same people who thought you had it all together before will feel that new energy and peace, and you will feel good knowing that it's real.  Once you set the tone to find that peace, everything else after that will hold a different type of weight.  You no longer find yourself lost in this place where nothing seemed to jive and your balance was completely off.  You are now walking upright and the feeling has never been so incredible.  Your aura and your energy start to glow from within and your outward appearance is radiant.    

Let's be honest, stress comes, sometimes at the worst times in our lives.  If there was a way to reduce it forever and completely we would all be golden.  We all have ways of handling unique situations in our lives, It's all a matter of learning what to hold onto and what to let go.  Life is forever changing and while some change is good, we always want that constant.  The constant feeling of knowing you have it together and everything will work in your favor. 

Do your best, realize what matters, keep that list handy, and make your peace the first thing you acknowledge every day.

Wishing you all an abundance of peace ☮️
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~AJ